STEVE FRANCIS Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 210 pounds Age: 30 years old Stats: 11.3 points on 40.8% shooting, 3.9 assists in 28.1 minutes Status: Under contract, potential buyout

Francis was drafted #2 overall by the then-Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1999 NBA Draft and his on-air reaction was obvious: He had no desire to go to Canada whatsoever. Carroll Dawson and the Rockets somehow landed Francis that summer for Othella Harrington, Michael Dickerson and a future first round pick, a trade that CD doesn't get enough credit for having committed absolute highway robbery.

In Houston, Francis became Stevie "Franchise". He won co-Rookie of the Year with Elton Brand after averaging 18 points on 44.5% shooting, 6.6 assists and 5.3 boards in his first NBA season. In 5 seasons (379 games played) in Clutch City, Francis averaged 19.3 points on over 43% shooting, 6.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds.

But it wasn't meant to be -- Francis, along with Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato, was shipped to Orlando in the Tracy McGrady blockbuster. Francis put up a strong first season with the Magic (21.3 points, 7 assists, 5.3 boards), but after struggling to adapt to a lesser role the following year, he was sent to NBA purgatory in New York in a trade that simply never made sense.

Playing with or behind Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford, Francis' time and numbers plummetted in New York and rumor was GM/coach Isiah Thomas was talking about buying out the remaining two years (and over $30 million) in his contract, which would make the former Rocket an unrestricted free agent.

Rocket Perspective
Obviously, it isn't too hard to visualize Steve in the uniform. Under a coach like Jeff Van Gundy, where low turnovers and three-point shooting accuracy were essential, Francis was far from an ideal fit. Steve's assist numbers slowly ticked downward each of his 5 seasons in Houston while his turnovers and love for the dribble were always a problem.

Under Adelman? Things may be a little different. The Rockets coach is looking for quick, athletic guards and whether it is as a starter or sixth man, Francis could provide a boost here. Now at 30 years old Francis isn't as quick and explosive as he was in his first few seasons, but he can still penetrate and attack the basket.

Returning to his home in Houston would almost assuredly be very attractive to the 6-foot-3 guard and all indications are that is exactly what he wants. Whether he would ultimately be content to play on a team where he was once the franchise player and fill the role of third scorer remains to be seen, but McGrady and Yao Ming, who both seem to recognize the need for teammates who can get their own shot, are going to need to be flexible here in balancing egos.

Conclusion
Many NBA playoff teams are in the playoffs or are contending because they turned nothing in to something (Baron Davis, Rasheed Wallace and any trade Dallas has made to take advantage of cap-strapped teams come to mind), and that has to give new Rockets GM Daryl Morey some hope because that is fairly close to what the Rockets have to offer in trades -- nothing.

Point being, the Rockets need to steal some talent.